Vijayanagara launches Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls; draft list on August 5

Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer Kavita S. Mannikeri on Friday (June 5) said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is under way in Vijayanagara district in accordance with the directions of the Election Commission of India, with preparatory activities currently in progress.

Addressing a press conference at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Ms. Mannikeri said voters have until June 16 for inclusion, deletion and progeny mapping of names in the electoral rolls. The portal would thereafter be frozen and no modifications would be permitted until publication of the draft electoral roll.

She said training of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), preparatory work and printing of forms would be carried out from June 20 to 29. Subsequently, BLOs would undertake a house-to-house verification drive from June 30 to July 29, during which they would visit every household three times, provide enumeration forms and obtain signatures from voters.

The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5. Claims and objections can be filed between August 5 and September 4, while the final electoral roll will be published by the Election Commission on October 7, she said.

Explaining the documentation requirements under the SIR process, Ms. Mannikeri said voters whose names already figure in the electoral roll and who were born before July 1, 1987, would be required to furnish any one of the 12 approved documents establishing their date and place of birth.

Those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must provide proof of their own date and place of birth along with documents establishing the date and place of birth of either parent. Persons born after December 2, 2004, will have to submit proof of their own date and place of birth as well as supporting documents relating to both parents. In cases where either parent is not an Indian citizen, valid passport and visa documents of the parent at the time of birth must be produced. Individuals born outside India or those who acquired citizenship through naturalisation must furnish the relevant registration documents issued by Indian missions abroad or citizenship certificates, she said.

The Deputy Commissioner said the Election Commission had enabled online voter registration, eliminating the need for eligible citizens and first-time voters who have attained 18 years of age to submit physical applications. Applicants may contact the BLO concerned through details available on the Election Commission website and complete the process online. Facilities for corrections and minor modifications have also been provided.

To assist the public, Voter Facilitation Centres will be opened at Village Administrative Officer offices, local bodies, tahsildar offices and Nada Kacheris. These centres will help citizens who lack internet access or computer literacy to complete the registration and revision process.

The district currently has 1,234 polling stations across its five Assembly constituencies and an electorate of 11,42,861 people, comprising 5,65,999 male voters, 5,76,735 female voters and 127 voters in the third gender category.

The Deputy Commissioner said meetings had already been held with representatives of political parties and they had been advised to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to assist BLOs and ensure transparency in the revision process.

Clarifying misconceptions, she said the SIR exercise was not intended to remove names from the electoral rolls. Citizens should cooperate with BLOs during house visits and provide the required information. If any eligible voter’s name is omitted, it can be included upon submission of supporting documents such as birth certificates, ration cards or MGNREGA cards. Aadhaar, she added, would be treated only as a proof of identity and not as proof of residence.

Public objections relating to electoral rolls would be examined and resolved at the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) level through a quasi-judicial process. Ms. Mannikeri urged citizens not to be misled by rumours and to make full use of the special revision exercise.